Music vs Technology Over The Years

Ongoing History of New Music

Curiouscast

Music History, History, Music, Music Interviews, Music Commentary

4.8 • 604 Ratings

🗓️ 15 November 2023

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the mid-15th century, France was ruled by Louis XI, otherwise known as “Louis the Prudent”...but he was always known as “Louis the Cunning” and “The Universal Spider” because he was always spinning plots and looking for conspiracies...when it came to dissent and wars, he was a brutal sort... Being a despot is hard work and sometimes you need cheering up...that’s why he challenged Abbe De Baigne, a builder of things, to create a brand new musical instrument for his amusement... The result was the piganino, a keyboard that required a number of pigs of varying sizes...each was laid out on a flat surface, smallest to largest...above the hind end of each pig was a spike connected to a piano-like keyboard...by pressing a key, the corresponding pig would be spiked, resulting in an oink of a certain note...it was thus possible to play a tune by poking the pig... It didn’t sound very good, but it worked and Louis XI found it very funny...the pigs did not... Music and technology have always had an interesting relationship...sometimes it’s harmonious and wonderfully...other times—like with the piganino—there’s a hideous clash... ...however, the piganino, invented 600 years ago, was the forerunner of future music-related technologies like sample, sequencing, and synthesis...the tech—or at least some of the concepts—would eventually win out... If we step back and look at the history of science, math, and engineering and the practice of creating the art music, we’ll see that every time the two intersect, technology almost always comes out the winner...and that’s okay... Something that seems radical, evil, transgressive, impure, and corrupting turns out to be a pretty good deal and music is the better for it... Here are some stories about the clashes between tech and music...I’ll lay out the facts and you decide if these were good things or bad... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Alan and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing history of new music early and ad-free on Amazon music, included with Prime. In the Premier League, everyone pushes their hardest to win, and now it's your turn. With their EPL Fantasy Challenge, Coca-Cola are giving you a chance to win big by beating the best. All you have to do is build a team based on rules set by an icon.
0:22.2	And to help you on your way, I've got a tip to help you build your team.
0:25.3	Make sure you keep an eye on fixtures. Who are the players up against next?
0:29.1	Sometimes it's not about form. Like there are some players that, for whatever reason,
0:34.1	always play well against certain teams. To do your research.
0:39.0	To get involved in the EPL Fantasy Challenge, all you've got to do is grab a Coke and scan the code on the pack. Just by playing,
0:44.2	you get a chance to win Coke swag or vouchers. But if you beat the icon who set the rules,
0:49.1	you could win vintage Coca-Cola jerseys, Premier League tickets, and more. So go ahead and get involved.
0:55.9	Grab a Coke, drink it in. In the mid-15th century, France was ruled by Louis the 11th, otherwise
1:03.4	known as Louis the Prudent. But he was also known as Louis the cunning and the universal spider,
1:10.3	because he was always spinning plots and looking
1:12.6	for conspiracies. When it came to dissent in wars, he was a brutal sort. Being a despot is hard
1:19.7	work, and sometimes you need cheering up, which is why he challenged Abbe de Bang, a builder of
1:25.1	things, to create a brand new musical instrument just for his amusement.
1:30.6	The result was the Piganino, a keyboard that required a number of pigs of varying sizes. Each
1:39.1	pig was laid out on a flat surface, smallest to largest. Above the hind end of each pig was a spike
1:45.6	connected to a piano-like keyboard. Pressing a key, the corresponding pig would be spiked,
1:51.7	resulting in an oink of a certain note. It was thus possible to play a tune by poking the pigs.
1:59.8	It didn't sound very good, but it worked, and Louis X11 found it very funny.
2:04.0	The pigs, of course, did not. Music and technology have always had an interesting relationship.
2:10.8	Sometimes it's harmonious and wonderful. Other times, like with the Paganino, there's a hideous clash.
2:20.9	However, the Paganino, there's a hideous clash. However, the Paganino, invented 600 years ago,
	...

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